Support device



April 7, 1970 D R 3,504,878

SUPPORT DEVICE Original Filed May 18, 1967 I4a. 14a.

i //VI/A/7'OE 5 6 (b LJZQZZ pa/eaaz 197' roeMYS United States Patent Of 3,504,878 SUPPORT DEVICE Max Dressler, 481 Woodlawn, Glencoe, Ill. 60022 Continuation of application Ser. No. 631,798, May 18, 1967. This application Apr. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 824,721 Int. Cl. A47g 25/06; A47k /10; F16b 45/00 U.S. Cl. 248205 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A support device formed from a hard synthetic material suchas plastic having a load carrying member extending from its front face and formed with a backing member having adhesive on its rear surface for attachment of the device to a surface. A marginal shroud spaced outwardly from the edge of the backing member extends rearwardly from the periphery of the device to define a trough between the shroud and the backing member which collects the flow of any excess adhesive from the backing member so it remains within the confines of the device. The shroud, which further operates to shield the backing member from view, thereby adding to the presentability of the device when attached to a surface, is constructed to be spaced from the surface on which the device is mounted to eliminate interference of the plastic with the surface to which the device is attached.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 631,798, filed Apr. 18, 1967 and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND There are numerous load carrying structures in existence designed to be mounted on surfaces such as walls, many of which are formed or molded from hard synthetic materials such as plastic. Such devices should be easily and readily attachable to the surface on which they are to be mounted and should be easily usable by the con sumer. It is desirable in order to enhance such convenient use of the support device, to provide an adhesive layer on the rear of the support device which may be used to attach it to the surface or wall.

Plastic and similar hard materials, however, do not readily adapt themselves for use with ordinary adhesives. For this reason, such plastic devices are provided with back pieces of some material which are adapted for use with conventional adhesives such as water soluble glue.

One problem with this type construction is that the backing piece which is attached to the rear surface of the support device may be readily seen when the device is attached to a wall which detracts from the appearance of the device. Attempts to eliminate this unsightly appearance by enclosing the backing piece within plastic are not completely satisfactory since the hard plastic material interferes with satisfactory mounting of the device on a flat surface dut to the inflexibility of the plastic and its lack of adhering quality.

Furthermore, in either type of configuration, when the device is pressed onto the surface, the adhesive on the backing member often squirts beyond the confines of the device into view which renders the mounted device unsightly and unsatisfactory.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION In accordance with the present invention there is provided a support device made of plastic or similar synthetic material formed with a wooden backing member on its rear surface, in which desired characteristics of a wooden backing member are fully utilized for attachment of the device to the wall and which at the same time presents a neat appearance. Such a support device is constructed to eliminate interference of the plastic with the attachment of the device to a surface, such as a wall, to shield the backing member from view when the device is attached to a wall and to collect the flow of adhesive from the backing member so it remains within the confines of the device.

The support device includes a plastic body portion formed with a load-carrying member extending out from the front surface thereof, such as a hook, bar, ring, shelf or the like, and formed with a rear surface in the shape of a generally planar base plate. In forming the device, the base plate may be molded directly to one surface of a wooden backing member having suflicient strength to support the device on the wall to which it is attached, or alternatively the wooden backing member may be adhered to the base plate after the support device is molded. in either embodiment the edge of the wooden backing member is kept free of the plastic by formation of a trough around the periphery of the backing member.

When molding the backing member directly to the plastic body portion of the device, the backing member may initially be provided with a plurality of apertures or notches through which the plastic material flows during molding to form posts integral with the base plate thereby providing additional bonding surfaces between the plastic body and the backing member.

In the alternative embodiment wherein the backing member is adhered to the base plate, the posts may be formed integrally with the base plate and the backing member may be formed with corresponding apertures which fit over the posts toprovide additional adhesion between the two and to orient the backing member in proper position.

In either embodiment, the ends of the posts may be formed flushed with the outer rear surface of the backing member or may conveniently be slightly recessed therefrom.

A marginal shroud spaced outwardly from the periphery of the backing member extends rearwardly from the rear face of the body portion to shield the backing member from sight when the device is mounted on a wall. The rear edge of the shroud is olfset from the plane defined by the rear surface of the backing member thereby providing a space between the rear of the shroud and the surface on which the device is mounted.

In this way, while the shroud shields the backing member from sight, it does not interfer with the attachment of the device to the surface since it does not make contact with the surface. This allows the wooden backing member to accommodate irregularities in the mounting surface, and since the wooden backing member is considerably softer than the plastic, it can form itself more easily to the wall on which it is attached, whereas the plastic, which is a hard material, does not possess this capability.

To attach the device on a wall or other surface, the wooden backing member is provided with a suitable adhesive, such as a water-soluble glue, on its outer rear surface. This adhesive may be readily activated-if a water-soluble glue is used, simply moistening it will activate itand the device may then be pressed against the wall to which it is to be attached.

As indicated above, the shroud, being offset from the plane of the backing member, does not interfere with the mounting of the device and does not receive the coating of the adhesive applied to the backing member. This further enhances the appearance of the device since the adhesive is not forced outside the confines of the device to mess up the wall. The trough, formed between the backing member and the shroud, provides an added function of collecting the flow of any adhesive from the backing member within the confines of the device by providing a space into which the adhesives can flow.

Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the various embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings in which each and every detail shown is fully and completely disclosed as part of this specification, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the support device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view showing a variation of the embodiment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of another embodiment of the present invention in which two fibrous backing members are utilized, showing alternative constructions of the trough adjacent the exterior edges of the backing members;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along the lines 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIG- URES 1 and 2 there is shown one embodiment of the support device 10 of the present invention having a body portion 12 molded from a plastic or other synthetic resin. Load-carrying members such as hooks 14 are formed as a part of and extend outwardly from the front face 16 of the body portion. The rear surface of the plastic body is formed as a base plate 18 and may be molded directly to the inner face or surface 20 of a backing member 22 which may be wood or other fibrous material capable of receiving an adhesive 23 such as a water-soluble adhesive which is readily adaptable for use in mounting the device on a surface.

Alternatively, the wooden backing member may be adhered to the base plate by a suitable adhesive after the body portion has been molded. One adhesive found to be suitable is a solution formed from dissolving styrene pellets in a solution of methylene chloride in a ratio by weight of 2 to 3 at room temperature. When the pellets are completely dissolved this solution is applied either to the backing member 22 or to the base plate 18 and the wood and plastic are then pressed together for a period of about twenty-four hours until the solvent has completely evaporated and the adhesive dried out.

If desirable, the backing member may initially be provided with a plurality of apertures 26 so that when the base plate 18 is molded to the backing member 22, the posts 28 are formed integrally with the base plate and extend through the apertures 26. Alternatively, when the backing member 22 is to be adhered to the base plate 18, the posts 28 may be preformed as part of the base plate and may operate as positioning members which fit into the preformed apertures 26 in the backing member when it is adhered to the base plate. The posts 28 may be formed to be flush with the outer rear surface 30 of the backing member 22 or may be slightly recessed below the rear surface.

The plastic base plate 18 is not formed around the edges 32 of the backing member 22. A trough 34 formed adjacent the periphery of the backing member 22 insures that the plastic does not overlap the edge 32 of the backing member 22 when it is molded to the base plate 18.

The trough 34 acts as a depository for any excess adhesive 24 applied to the outer surface 30 of the backing member 22, both when the adhesive is initially applied to the backing member and when the adhesive is remoistened for mounting the device 10 on a wall. The plastic body 12 is formed with a marginal shroud 36,

the inner surface of which defines the outer wall of the trough 34, extending rearwardly from the periphery of the body 12. When the device 10 is mounted on a wall, the shroud 36 shields the backing member 22 from view, thereby giving the device a presentable appearance.

In order that the perimeter of the plastic body should not interfere with the mounting of the device, the rear edge 38 of the shroud 36 is offset a small amount from the plane defined by the outer rear surface 30 of the backing member 22 so that the plastic does come into contact with the wall when the device is mounted. As a result, no adhesive is applied to the recessed rear end 38 of the shroud 36 and, thus, when the device 10 is mounted on a wall, no adhesive is pressed outside of the confines of device to present a messy appearance.

By reducing the amount of plastic material in contact with the wall, there is now being at most only the small area of the plastic posts 28 extending through the backing member 22, the more flexible backing member 22, when pressed against the wall, is more apt to accommodate irregularities in the wall or, on the other hand, the plastic does not interfere with adhesion if there are any irregularities in the wood backing member itself.

Referring to FIGURE 3 there is shown a device in which the apertures in the wood backing member 22a are formed as notches 40 along the edge thereof.

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 show other embodiment of the present invention when the device is formed in somewhat larger configurations. In order to eliminate excess material and reduce the weight of the advice, the loadcarrying member, such as rod 14a, may be formed, at least in part, with a hollow embossment 41. Furthermore, in such larger devices it is not always necessary to have a backing member extend across the entire rear surface of the device and, therefore, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 4 the central portion 42 of the device may not have any backing member at all.

The base plate 44 for each individual backing member 46 may be formed with a trough 48 around the entire periphery of the backing member 46 as seen in the left hand side of FIGURE 4 and in FIGURE 5, although the trough 50 need be formed only adjacent the exterior edges of the backing member 46, as shown in the right hand side of FIGURE 4 and in FIGURE 6.

Thus, there has been shown a support device formed with a backing member suitable for use with adhesive to allow easy mounting of the device on a wall; in which the plastic body portion of the support device is spaced from the surface on which it is mounted so that the device once mounted on a surface remains in place and can support the loads for which it is designed, and in which a marginal shroud and the trough formed thereby eliminate unsightly appearance by hiding the backing member from view and by restricting the flow of adhesive to within the confines of the device.

It will be readily observed from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and of the illustrated embodiments thereof that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts and principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A support device comprising a plastic body portion, a wooden backing member bonded to the rear face of said body portion, and adhesive on the rear outer surface of said backing member for attaching said support device to a flat surface, said plastic body portion including integrally formed load-carrying means extending from the front surface thereof, and an integrally formed shroud spaced outwardly from the edge of said backing member and extending rearwardly of said body portion, a trough defined by said shroud and said backing member and disposed therebetween whereby said backing member is effectively shielded from view by said shroud when said device is attached to a surface.

2. A'device as claimed in claim 1 in which said trough between said shroud and said backing member is continuous.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which the rear edge of said shroud is offset from the plane of the rear surface of said backing member, whereby the rear edge of said shroud is adapted to be spaced away from the surface to which the device is to be mounted.

4. A support device comprising a plastic body portion, a Wooden backing member bonded to the rear face of said body portion, said backing member including a plurality of apertures, said rear face of said body portion including integrally formed posts extending through said apertures with the ends of said posts being generally flush with the rear outer surface of said backing member, and adhesive on the rear outer surface of said backing member for attaching said support device to a flat surface, said plastic body portion including integrally formed load-carrying means extending from the front surface thereof, and a shroud spaced outwardly from the edge of said backing member and extending rearwardly of said body portion, a trough defined by said shroud and said backing member and disposed therebetween whereby said backing member is effectively shielded from view of said shroud when said device is attached to a surface.

5. A support device as claimed in claim 4 in which said apertures are in the form of peripheral notches.

6. A support device adapted to be attached to a flat surface comprising in combination at least one wooden backing member having a plurality of apertures therein and being provided with adhesive on the rear outer surface thereof for attaching said device to a flat surface, a plastic body formed with integral load-carrying means extending out from its front face and having at least a portion of its rear face bonded to the front inner surface of said backing member with integrally formed posts extending through said apertures, and a shroud extending rearwardly of the periphery of said rear face and spaced form the edge of said backing member, a trough defined by the edge of said backing member and said shroud and disposed therebetween to collect any flow of adhesive from the backing member, the rear end of said shroud terminating short of the plane defined by the rear surface of said backing member, whereby said backing member is shielded from view when said device is attached to a surface.

7. A support device comprising in combination a plastic body portion, a plurality of wooden backing members bonded to the rear face of said body portion in spaced apart relation and adhesive on the rear outer surfaces of said backing members for attaching said support device to a fiat surface, said plastic body portion including integrally formed load-carrying means extending from the front surface thereof, and a shroud spaced outwardly from the edge of each backing member and extending rearwardly of said body portion, a trough defined by the shroud and said backing member and disposed therebetween, whereby said backing members are effectively shielded from view by the shroud spaced therefrom when said device is attached to a surface.

8. The device claimed in claim 7 in which a trough extends completely around each backing member.

9. The device claimed in claim 7 in which the rear face of said body portion between said backing members is recessed below the plane of the rear surfaces of said backing members.

10. The device claimed in claim 7 in which the rear edge of the shroud spaced from each backing member is offset from the plane of the rear surface of the backing member whereby the rear edge of the shroud is adapted to be spaced away from the surface to which the device is to be mounted.

11. A support device comprising a plastic body portion wooden backing member means bonded to the rear face of said body portion and adhesive on the rear outer surface of said backing member means for attaching said support device to a flat surface, said plastic body portion including integrally formed load-carrying means extending from the front surface thereof at a point superposed over said backing member means, and an integrally formed shroud spaced outwardly from the edge of said backing member means and extending rearwardly of said body portion, a trough defined by said shroud and said backing member means and disposed therebetween, whereby said backing member means is effectively shielded from view by such shroud when said device is attached to a surface.

12. The support device claimed in claim 11 wherein said backing member means includes a plurality of spaced apart wooden backing members bonded to the rear face of said body portion and wherein said integrally formed load-carrying means extend from the front surface of said plastic body portion from a plurality of points each superposed over a separate backing member.

13. The device claimed in claim 12 in which said trough is continuous and in which the rear edge of said shroud is offset from the plane of the rear surface of said backing members whereby the rear edge of the shroud is adapted to be spaced away from the surface to which the device is to be mounted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1954 Keller 248205 1/ 1968 Stemke et al 248206 US. 01. X.R. 

